Residents surprised when BPA shows up to cut down trees
BEAVERTON, Ore. – Neighbors near Southwest Cornelius Pass Road and TV Highway were surprised earlier this month when cutting crews showed up on their doorsteps, ready to tear down trees in their backyards.
The crews were sent by the Bonneville Power Administration to keep nearby major power lines safe from potentially dangerous trees.
Spokesman Doug Johnson said BPA is concerned about trees falling on lines or arcing lines igniting trees.
He said everyone along the lines was sent notice about the cutting.
"It's never our intention to show up unannounced. We make every effort to notify individuals that live along our rights of way or near our rights of way," Johnson said.
But Sarah Richmond told KATU News a few neighbors didn’t get any notice.
"They would get a knock on their door and there would be a gentleman standing there with a cutting crew behind him," Richmond said.
Johnson said BPA can’t guarantee the notices reach neighbors.
But he said he will work to address the concerns the neighbors have about notification.
"We've got to get the landowners that have concerns that [BPA] may not be aware of, connected," Johnson said, adding "As quickly as possible."
He also said BPA would work to help neighbors plant new, shorter vegetation to replace the trees BPA had to cut down.
BPA owns easements along the length of major power lines. Its easement rights let it get onto nearby private property to do anything it needs to maintain those lines – including removing vegetation.
This is one of the tree stumps left after a crew sent by the Bonneville Power Administration cut down the tree to keep it from interfering with power lines.
Yet when they cut down a 150 year old sequoia for a bike path.....crickets.
Nuke and pave.
We have 28.6 gazillion trees here in Oregon. Half of the ones in the metro area are sick or covered in fungi (yes, I'm a fun-guy as well...).  Despite our worst efforts, trees grow back. We need to cut more down to at least cut down on the stinking pollen. The effing "canopy" everyone freaks out about here is out of control. We don't practice forest management here, we practice forest worship.
It doesn't make any difference how many notices are sent out if people can't read them or don't read them. Â Some if not most of these people probably haven't read the deed for their home. Â Heck, they might not even own it. Â
At least they cut it off at ground level...they could just as easily left a stump a couple of feet tall. And, when a company has an "easement" they notify you out of courtesy, not requirement...the easement, depending on the original contract, usually lets the company cross at will. If an oil company holds an oil lease on your property, they CAN (if they want) come in and drill ANYWHERE they want, including right in your living room or the middle of your swimming pool, anytime they want. I would guess that the easment agreement would have similar wording. Difference is that the power company (BPA in this case) does try to do a little PR...nothing is 100% though. And with all the garbage junk mail anymore, it is hard to tell the difference between a wanted/needed letter and junk.
SO what happened to being able to TRIM the trees and remove branches that threaten lines not the entire tree? Â In MN where I am from, there was a property owner who had almost every tree on his property cut down (and HE had t pay to remove them!) for a by-pass that NEVER WAS BUILT. Â I cannot help but think cutting down the trees to protect the lines was no more necessary than cutting down that person's trees for a bypass.
@BCH mom These are not your neighborhood power lines, they are large high-tension transmission lines. They need a clear space around them as they can actually arc electricity if something grounded (like a tree) grows close enough.
@Ifishsum @BCH mom As well as keep the undergrowth as debris-free as possible because, even if arcing didn't occur, a small brush fire running through the easement area (especially with something as ugly as blackberry bushes to fight through) can be devastating to the power lines and to the surrounding properties.
Gee, will they cut down my neighbor's trees? It's just a matter of time before they rot enough to fall and take out the utility lines. I'm hoping the cable strand is strong enough to hold them.
Think of the positive part - if you live on BPA easement - you don't pay proptery taxes!
@Bill Rogers What?! No one ". . . lives on BPA easement . . ."! They live next to it. There's a difference.
@Darktan Onio There are lots and lots of BPA EASEMENTS that cross private property. You are thinking of a BPA RIGHT OF WAY.
Read your deeds, folks. I doubt the BPA has any legal responsibility at all to notify you in advance. They have every legal right to cut those trees as appropriate-that is what easement means.
And the same people nagging about their trees being cut would no doubt be the first ones complaining about their power going out in a storm...or a live wire dropping in their backyard.
@al_02Â You are absolutely correct! Â Most of the BPA easements won't allow anything that clumps (like blackberry bushes) or anything that grows taller than six feet. Â I've read many of them! Â A perfect example of the BPA easement/tree/vegetation issue can be seen along NE 112th Avenue and NE 18th Street in Vancouver (where Joe Beaudoin does a great job maintaing the area under the BPA easement and grows some amazing produce -- and Joe's a great guy, too).
And for anyone who has an easement on their property of any type, and most do for road, sidewalk, and/or utility usage, you have very little say in the matter as long as the terms of the easement aren't breached (which might include whether or not they need to even bother to notify the property owner(s).
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@feral agreed.. we have no need for trees..Â
Why is it that every time a tree gets chopped down in the PMA, it ends up on the news in Portland?Â
I mean, have you people ever even driven through the Cascades or Coast range?
I realize that in the urban jungle in which you choose to live that 'greenspace' is sacred, but I swear... there is no shortage of trees in Oregon. Honest. Cross my heart.Â
@MarkKpic  Look at it this way: We're in competition with Brooklyn, NYC. Some famous author wrote a book about that one. All PMA gets is a few measly "news" articles.
Cracks me up! Steve Dunn said this was in Beaverton, but the map says Hillsboro. It's actually the old Reedville area, so it's more Hillsboro than Beaverton. Even the schools are in the Hillsboro School district.Â
Gotta learn some geography, people!Â
So, who gets to keep the firewood?
Unless the folks just trashed the notifications along with their junk mail. Not saying that is the case but it is a possibility. I try not to, but occasionally something worthwhile looks like snail spam and gets tossed.
I'm tempted to not pay my credit card bills and wait for them to call, just so I can turn around and say I mailed it and it's no longer my responsibility.. maybe I can try and blame them for losing my check.
Come to my house and take my trees please
Progress progresses! Trees grow, but power lines don't get out of the way! That's life. But getting notified would have helped get this done without MEDIA attention!
@jpk Actually - maybe the BPA should have used the media attention to get the message out, so they had all their bases covered.Â
Sad to see those trees go, though. I thought this area was "Tree Town, USA".Â
@washcomom @jpk Usually the BPA does do a media blitz but the local news stations choose to not carry them.  I see the notices on and off in the Columbian so I'm sure they're covered by the newspapers in that area -- assuming someone actually picks one up and reads it...
@washcomom @jpk Lots of poplars and other easily-replaced trees around there. Talk of Reedville and trees reminds me of the ballfield with the windbreak row of trees that is now Intel's campus. Makes me feel pretty old.
"Johnson said BPA canât guarantee the notices reach neighbors."
So they can field a crew of tree cutters, but can't manage a registered letter ?
@xilef regnu Sending letters is hard work, besides it's probably the postal service' fault.Â